They're related, trees and air. My art lately is about both, about the trees, the life of trees and their ecosystems. And about the air that circulates above our heads, sky scapes, altered by landscapes of disappearing trees.

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wollebehn is an eye opener into the ecosystem of trees, plants, fungi and microorganisms that keep this planet livable. Human beings now outnumber all other mammals, threatening to deplete and kill off an ecosystem critical to our well-being and that of our grandchildren.

I am inspired by Terry Tempest Williams' memoir of her mother, "When Women Were Birds," to contemplate how birds move with freedom through water and air as they adapt to changing currents. Does freedom imply adaptation?

As some of you know, I have been playing with alcohol and fire. Sometimes it is an explosive atmosphere in the studio, but I am careful to isolate the alcohol pouring from the encaustic fires. The results can be fantastic--or not. Here is one that worked. I'll spare you the ones that did not work.

The "Opening Doors" project, organized by NeighborWorks boise, "celebrates the pride in receiving th key to your new front door, especially when you didn't think it was possible." 10 artists created art out of recycled doors, and they are on display on a walking tour through downtown Boise. My door is on display at Whole Foods, so get your Whole Foods fix and see my door! Here's the map for all 10 doors! They will be on display through September 22.

"Idaho Tax Return" makes its debut showing at the Treasure Valley Artists' Alliance's next exhibition. Shredded receipts and tax return embedded in beeswax mounted on wood. The reception is August 7, 5-8 p.m. at the Boise State Public Radio offices in the Yanke Building on Parkcenter. Hope to see you there.

Ever hear of Arduino Wearables? Combining electronics and fashion into wearable art, it started with open design micro controllers coming out of Italy, something like open software, so that students and anyone can make electronic gizmos without worrying about patented hardware designs. Then fashion artists leapt in and created their own versions of these controllers, called Lily Pads and other names, and created wearable electronic art. "Not Your Mother's Fascinator" is my first from-scratch wearable artwork.

I'm finally moving into the twenty-first century. For years, I've had a lovely website designed by my friend Cheryl Flinn. But that website was from a different time, before smart phones and when modifying an SQL database, reformatting images, counting pixels, and encoding HTML into pages was the only way to maintain a website. No longer. As much as I love the technical side of things, I have become too impatient for such drudgery. So, here it is. Fill out the form on the contact page. Or give me feedback here.